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West Texas
| state = | region = | district = | length = | length_orientation = | width = | width_orientation = | area = | population = | population_date = | population_density = | established = | timezone = | utc_offset = | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = | postal_code = | area_code = | code = | map = Texas 2002.jpg | map_caption = Map of Texas | map_background = | map_locator = | map_locator_x = | map_locator_y = | website = }} West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas. There is a general lack of consensus regarding the boundaries that separate East Texas and West Texas.Cochran, M., Lumpkin, J. and Heflin, R. 1999. West Texas: a portrait of its people and their raw and wondrous land. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 176 pp. Walter Prescott Webb, the American historian and geographer, suggested that the 98th meridian separates East and West Texas.Webb, W.P. 1935. The Texas Rangers: a century of frontier defense. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 583 pp. The Texas writer A.C. Greene proposed that West Texas extends west of the Brazos River.Greene, A.C. 1998. Sketches from the five states of Texas. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 176 pp. Perhaps, the truth is that there is no distinct line that separates East and West Texas. Rather, there are places that are clearly in West Texas and there are places that are clearly in East Texas, and then there are places that fall within a transitional zone between these two regions. West Texas is often subdivided according to distinct physiographic features. The portion of West Texas that lies west of the Pecos River is often referred to as "Far West Texas" or the "Trans-Pecos," a term first introduced in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill.Hill, R.T. 1887. The topography and geology of the Cross Timbers and surrounding regions in Northern Texas. The American Journal of Science, 3rd Series, 33:291-303. The Trans-Pecos lies within the Chihuahuan Desert, the most arid portion of the state. Another important subdivision of West Texas is the Llano Estacado, a vast region of level high plains that extends into the Texas Panhandle. To the east of the Llano Estacado lies the “redbed country” of the Rolling Plains and to the south of the Llano Estacado lies the Edwards Plateau. The Rolling Plains and the Edwards Plateau subregions act as transitional zones between East and West Texas. Population West Texas has a much lower population density than the rest of the state. It was once mostly inhabited by nomadic Native American tribes such as the Apache, Comanche, and Kiowa until after the Civil War. It does not have as many ties to other parts of the South as does East Texas. However, most of the people who originally settled West Texas migrated from the Southern United States, most of whom can trace their ancestry back to England, and their descendants make up a large part of the residents today. There is a also a very large Hispanic population, especially near the Rio Grande and a significant number of Americans of German ancestry as well. Many Mexicans fled Ojinaga and walked to Stonewall during the Mexican revolution in the early days of the 20th century. Many Mexican-Americans still have close family ties in Mexico. Climate West Texas receives much less rainfall than the rest of Texas and has an arid or semi-arid climate, requiring most of its scant agriculture to be heavily dependent on irrigation. This irrigation, and water taken out farther North for the needs of El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, has reduced both the Pecos River and the once mighty Rio Grande to a stream in some places, even dry at times. Much of West Texas has rugged terrain including many small mountain ranges while there are none in other parts of the state. West Texas contains part of the Chihuahuan Desert and also the Southern Great Plains, known as the Llano Estacado. File:West face of Guadalupe Mountains at sunset 2006.jpg|The Guadalupe Mountains at sunset File:Monahans Sandhills at Sunrise.jpg|Monahans Sand Hills of West Texas File:Caprock Canyons Haynes Ridge 2005.JPG|View from Haynes Ridge in Caprock Canyons, Briscoe County, Texas Politics The area is known for its conservative politics, except for the El Paso area. Some of the most heavily Republican counties in the United States are located in the region. Former President George W. Bush spent most of his childhood in west Texas. This region was one of the first areas of Texas to abandon its "Solid South" Democratic roots; some counties have not supported a Democrat for president since 1948. Industry Major industries include livestock, petroleum and natural gas production, textiles such as cotton, grain and because of its proximity to the Mexican border, the maquiladora industry. West Texas has become notable for its numerous wind turbines producing clean, alternative electricity. File:West Texas Pumpjack.JPG|Pumpjacks, like this one south of Midland, are a common sight in West Texas oil fields File:Farm in west texas Nima.JPG|Irrigated agriculture in West Texas File:GreenMountainWindFarm Fluvanna 2004.jpg|The Brazos Wind Farm near Fluvanna is one of many wind farms in West Texas. File:Freight train near Shallowater Texas.jpg|A freight train crossing the level plains of the Llano Estacado. Cities and Towns of West Texas Major West Texas cities and metropolitan areas include: Abilene, Amarillo, El Paso, Lubbock, Midland, Odessa, and San Angelo. Some of the smaller West Texas cities and towns include: Alpine, Andrews, Big Spring, Brownfield, Crane, Fort Stockton, Hale Center, Iraan, Kermit, Lamesa, Levelland, Littlefield, Marfa, McCamey, Monahans, Ozona, Pampa, Pecos, Plainview, Post, Rankin, Seminole, Slaton, Snyder, Socorro, Sweetwater, and Van Horn, Texas. Gallery File:Abilene, TX skyline.JPG|Abilene File:Big Spring 1.jpg|Big Spring File:El paso downtown main.jpg|El Paso File:Ft stockton old bank.jpg|Fort Stockton File:Kermit Texas 2009 .jpg|Kermit File:Downtown Lubbock from I-27 2005-09-10.jpeg|Lubbock File:Midland44 Skyline.jpg|Midland File:Odessa IMG 0319.JPG|Odessa File:Pecos texas stores.jpg|Pecos File:Dwntwnsa.jpg|San Angelo File:Van horn texas.jpg|Van Horn See also *List of geographical regions in Texas *Llano Estacado *Davis Mountains *Palo Duro Canyon *Guadalupe Mountains *McKittrick Canyon *Big Bend *Mount Blanco *Wind power in Texas *Farm to Market Road 669 References External links *Photos of the West Texas Category:Regions of Texas